Veranstaltung: A journey to sustainability - The power of standards

Michèle-Cerise Soors is a sustainability expert with a background in the steel industry, where during more than 15 years she focused on the revalorisation of non-prime quality products, finding technical and commercial solutions to give downgraded materials a second life. In addition, she spent a year working with a startup accelerator on sustainable and circular projects, including the recycling of neoprene wetsuits, gaining hands-on experience with innovation ecosystems and the challenges of material recovery in niche applications. Now at Schréder, she leads circular economy projects for the outdoor lighting industry that combine product modularity, lifetime extension, and end-of-life strategies to reduce environmental impact. She is passionate about designing practical, scalable solutions that help shift the industry toward a more circular and sustainable future.

Stefaan has been with STAXS® for 12 years, serving the past 7 years as R&D Manager. With a strong focus on sustainability, he has led numerous initiatives to integrate environmental responsibility into business practices. In this role, Stefaan advocates for the use of international standards, including ISO 14001, to drive sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Caroline Lhuillery is an agronomist, graduated from Institut Agro Montpellier, with extensive international experience in project management and sustainability. After working on agricultural projects in Madagascar and Ecuador, she joined the Economic Department of the French Embassies in Argentina and Thailand, promoting trade in agri-food and consumer goods. She later pursued an executive master's degree in public policy and sustainable development at AgroParisTech, furthering her expertise on biodiversity through experience at the French Development Agency.
For the past 10 years, Caroline has worked at AFNOR, the French national standardisation body, on the development of national, European and international standards (EN, ISO), particularly in air and soil quality. For the last 5 years, she has served as Committee Manager of ISO/TC 331 on biodiversity, coordinating global initiatives and best practices with stakeholders.

Mira Tayah holds an MSc in Geology and Environmental Management and is a Circular Economy Expert at Agoria, the Belgian trade association representing the tech industry. Mira joined Agoria in 2020 in order to support its members in the identification and implementation of circular opportunities. She is an active member of a number of European and international standardisation committees developing and reviewing standards that support the deployment of the circular economy. Prior to joining Agoria, Mira worked in the industrial minerals sector for about 10 years following EU environmental policy development and preparing for compliance and beyond.